Healthy Vegan Chickpea Muffins {grain-free, oil-free}

Healthy vegan chickpea muffins that are tender, sweet and delicious! Made with chickpeas, chickpea liquid, & chickpea flour, they are also oil-free, easy to make, & have 137 calories & 5 grams protein each.

I have a short and sweet post for all of you today, with a short and sweet recipe to match!

I still love my oats, but I do revel in the creation of newfangled grain-free bakes. It takes plenty of trial and error, but the elation of getting it right is worth it. 

Consider me elated, all thanks to these: Healthy, Easy Muffins that are Grain-Free & Vegan.  Consider them your new go-to muffin recipe!

The primary ingredient? Chickpeas. Plus chickpeas. And then…some more chickpeas. 

Yes, I love chickpeas. 🙂

To make the muffins, puree a 15-ounce can of chickpeas, including the chickpea liquid. The chickpea liquid, known as aquafaba, has eggwhite-like binding properties that contribute to the light, fluffy texture of these muffins.

Also in the initial chickpea puree: 1/2 cup creamy nut butter (see my notes for other options), 1/3 cup coconut sugar (I have options for this, too) and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract. I like to add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, too, but it is optional.

Once smooth, add the remaining ingredients: 3/4 cup chickpea flour and 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder. There is no need to add salt (given the canned chickpeas + chickpea liquid, and the nut butter). If you like, choose a lower sodium or no-sodium can of chickpeas to control the salt to your liking.

The resulting batter is akin to a regular muffin batter.

Divide the batter between 12 paper- or foil-lined muffin cups (in a standard size muffin pan). The batter will fill about 2/3 of each cup.

Be sure to divide the batter between all 12 cups. Fewer cups, with more batter, will not work well for these grain-free muffins. They do not develop a peak in the center when baked, so overfilled cups will overflow to the sides of the pan as the muffins rise.

Bake the muffins in a preheated 400F oven for 14 to 18 minutes to yield a golden dozen fluffy, filling, all-around fantastic muffins!

If you are looking for more of a peak to the muffins, you can divide the batter between 15 or 16 standard muffin cups (about 1/2-way full). Just be sure to reduce the baking time by about 3 minutes overall.

Variations

Use this basic recipe as a template for a host of other flavors, add-ins and toppings.

For example, fresh or dried fruits, chocolate chips, poppy seeds, almond extract, citrus zests, spices galore, or a sprinkle of nuts or seeds on top (which toast as they bake).

These are my 3 current favorites for the fall season:

• Cinnamon Chocolate Chip (1 and 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon +  2/3 cups chocolate chips)
• Cranberry Orange (1 cup fresh or frozen, thawed cranberries + 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest)
• Spiced Toasted Nut (1 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice + 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans sprinkled on top)

Have fun adding your favorites to the mix!

FAQ

Storage for the Muffins

Store the cooled muffins in an airtight container at (cool) room temperature for 2 days, the refrigerator for 1 week, or the freezer for up to 6 months.

Canned Chickpea Tip

I recommend using reduced sodium chickpeas to control the overall salt in the recipe.

Coconut Sugar Alternatives

Feel free to use an equal amount of any other granular sweetener (e.g., brown sugar) in place of the coconut sugar.

Tapioca Alternatives

An equal amount of arrowroot or potato starch can be used in place of the tapioca starch.  If you do not need these to be grain-free, you can use cornstarch as an option, well.

Nut Butter Options

Use any variety of creamy nut butter you like, such as peanut, almond or cashew. I prefer to use varieties that only contain nuts and salt, but use what suits your needs, budget and preference.

Nut-Free Options

For a nut-free option, use an equal amount of sunflower seed butter or well-stirred tahini.

Note that sunflower seed butter will tinge the muffins pale green. They are perfectly fine, it’s simply a sunflower seed side effect. You can also use an equal amount of coconut butter. I have an easy DIY coconut butter recipe that you can make in minutes.

Happy baking, everyone!

Related Recipes

• Oil-Free & Tahini-Free Hummus
• Triple Chickpea Sandwich Bread {vegan, oil-free, grain-free}
• Chocolate Chickpea Flour Muffins {vegan, grain-free}
• Chocolate Almond Flour Oat Muffins {vegan, oil-free, GF}
• Vegan Oat Blender Muffins {gluten-free, oil-free}